A Deadly Fragrance
by RadiantFire
Summary: After Trader Johann sold many items to the Berkian villagers, the dragons are becoming very ill, including Hiccup. As Astro struggles to find to cure to the sickness, Hiccup quickly becomes so ill that it starts to become difficult for her to breathe. It doesn't take long for Hiccup to realise that Mildew was counting on the sickness the whole time.
1. Business with Johann

"He's here!" exclaimed Bucket, "Johann's here!"

The people of Berk had been waiting for the arrival of Trader Johann for a week. He had finally arrived. Trader Johann was known for travelling to many strange lands and gathering mysterious goods. He always had something new for every tribe and island.

Johann lowered a ramp, allowing the Berkians to explore the ship for something interesting or useful, "Ahh, Berk. My favourite of all the islands I travel to."

"Where have you been to this time, Johann?" asked Bucket excitedly.

"Oh, Bucket. The places I've seen, the people I've met. I'd need a day to tell you. But alas, we have limited time to conduct our business together." Johann announced to the crowd in a proud voice, "Whatever it is you're looking for, I can assure you that you'll find it all right here!"

By now, the teenagers had arrived to the ship. Snotlout began calling dibs on anything he thought would make him cooler. Fishlegs traded his dragon-tooth necklace for a book of botany. Astro examined an axe. Hiccup noticed a small bottle.

"Oh!" exclaimed Johann, "That is the purest of squid ink, Hiccup. Wrestled from the colossal squid of the Northern Waters."

Hiccup held up a spyglass, "I made this myself. Is this enough?"

Johann chuckled, "I know. Just like the other five just like it. Unfortunately, I've only got two eyes."

"Well," Hiccup suggested, "how about this winch? It'll help you pull up your gang plank."

Johann smiled, "A welcome tool for a working man's healing shoulder. Consider it done, Hiccup."

Hiccup saw Stoick doing some combat moves with a sword.

"Wow!" exclaimed Hiccup, trying to sound surprised, "Another one!"

"If you must know," informed Stoick, "it's not for me. I'm heading off to the yearly meeting with the chief of the Shivering Shores. The last man who arrived without a gift left without a head."

Stoick mounted onto his Thunderdrum, "I'll be back in less than three days now that I have Thornado."

"You picked a name?"

"Yep. Because he has the power of Thor, and the ferocity of a tornado. Besides, it's the only thing he'll answer too. He's very stubborn."

Hiccup smiled sarcastically, "Can't imagine where he got that from."

Stoick and Thornado began their journey to the meeting.

Johann sighed, "Men riding dragons. What a magnificent sight!"

"Did you bring what I want?" asked a voice.

Johann turned around and saw Mildew, "Getting straight to the point! I like that."

Johann gave Mildew a sack of seeds. "I assume you brought my cabbage?"

Mildew set a basket of cabbage in front of Johann, who picked up a cabbage leaf to examine it.

A Terrible Terror crawled onto the basket and began to eat the contents.

"Ahh! No!" exclaimed Johann, "That's not for you!" Johann grabbed the Terror by the tail and threw him across the ship. Toothless saw this and growled, " **I'll teach you to hurt a dragon!** " He pounced a Johann, knocking the jar of ink out of Hiccup's hand.

" **Toothless!** " Hiccup roared, " **No!** Sorry, Johann. he's just being protective."

Hiccup picked up a piece of the broken jar.

"I'm so sorry Hiccup." said Johann, "That was my last one. But rest assured, I'll find that colossal squid and wrestle you another jar."

" **Oh, Toothless.** " said Hiccup, shaking her head.

" **What?** " asked Toothless, " **He hurt the dragon.** "

" **Yes, I know. But the dragon was not supposed to be eating that stuff.** "

Hiccup followed Toothless as they walked to the arena.


	2. What's Wrong with Hiccup and the Dragons

Weeks later, the twins set up a statue next to the wall of the academy.

"It's beautiful." breathed Ruffnut.

Hiccup walked up to Tuffnut, "You got that just for the academy?"

"Yeah. replied Tuffnut, "We got it from Trader Johann. We had to trade our great grandfather's skull to get it."

"Wow!" exclaimed Hiccup, "You know what? It's about time you guys started taking some pride in this place."

"Duck!" yelled Tuffnut.

"What-"

Hiccup curled up in the fetal position and covered her body with her wings as Barf and Belch shot a cloud of fire at the statue.

"That was awesome!" exclaimed Snotlout. He mounted up on Hookfang, "I wanna take a shot!"

Hookfang shot a long ray of fire at the statue. Stormfly launched her spines at the statue. Meatlug had a turn at shooting the new decoration.

After Toothless had a turn, Snotlout turned to Hiccup, "Why don't you try, Hiccup?"

"Because," answered Hiccup, "I don't want to."

"Oh really?" questioned Tuffnut, "Because your hands seem to want a turn."

"What?" Hiccup looked at her hands. They seemed to be glowing in a blue shade of light. Her hands felt hotter than usual, hotter than they would feel when she'd shoot fire. Before, Hiccup could blink, a violet orb of fire shot from her palms and struck one of the chains above, breaking it in two. The blast sent Hiccup falling onto her back. She placed her hands on the stone floor to push herself up, and the floor began to turn black like ash.

Hiccup stood up quickly.

"Hiccup?" questioned Astro, "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Hiccup answered, "I'm fine." Hiccup's hands became so hot that the others could see the heat rising from her hands.

"Hiccup..." said Asro, "You should go see Gothi."

"Astro." protested Hiccup, "I'm fine-" another shot from her hands completely destroyed the statue.

"Hiccup." Astro repeated, "Obviously something's wrong with you. I'm taking you to Gothi whether you like it or not."

As Astro and Hiccup flew to Gothi's hut, they noticed an unusual plant growing near the streets.

"Look at those flowers Hiccup." said Astro, "Aren't they beautiful?"

Astro looked to Hiccup and noticed that she looked pale. "You alright?"

"Yeah." replied Hiccup.

Astro stared at Hiccup. Something was wrong with her.

Suddenly, Toothless went out of control, and crashed on to ground.

" **Toothless?** " questioned Hiccup, " **Are you okay?** "

" **No. I don't feel so good. Whatever's happening to you, it's happening to me.** "

"Look at that." said Astro.

A Terrible Terror crashed next to Hiccup. The dragon sneezed and a ball of fire landed on the ground nearby.

Hiccup took Toothless inside. She set him down in front of the hearth. As she waited for Gobber to finish making something he said would cure Toothless, she looked at her hands. She was so hot that she was beginning to sweat.

Suddenly, Astro slammed the door open, "Hiccup! You need to see this."

Hiccup followed Astro outside and saw all the dragons having the same symptoms as Toothless. They were flying out of control and sneezing, accidentally setting fire to bushes and buildings.

"Okay." said Astro, "Looks like the dragons are going to see Gothi, just like you are." Before Hiccup could try to run, Astro grabbed her by the arm and practically dragged her to Gothi's hut.


	3. It's Getting Worse

Gothi examined Hiccup as she lay in the bed. Gothi felt the girl's hands, then forehead, then she shook a few bones and threw them on the floor.

Astro looked at Fishlegs, "I heard Gothi can tell that you're gonna die, just by looking at your fingernails."

Fishlegs hid his hands behind his back.

"...A...Astro..." Hiccup panted.

"That's an old wife's tale." explained Gobber, "She looks at your tongue."

Fishlegs covered his mouth.

"...Gobber... please..." Hiccup panted more, "Not while... I'm... lying in... this... bed.."

"Sorry."

Gobber looked at the pile of dirt on the floor as Gothi scribbled on it. "She's saying that Hiccup's reacting to something. All the dragons are. Like they're allergic."

"Allergic?" asked Astro, "To what?"

"To a moose wearing boots." answered Gobber, "Shouldn't be hard to find."

Gothi hit Gobber in the head with her staff.

Gobber looked at the drawing again, "Check that. Hiccup and the dragons are allergic to something new that just arrived on the island... But that still looks like a moose."

Gothi hit him again.

Astro looked at Gothi, "There's a lot of new things on the island. Trader Johann was just here. Less than two weeks ago."

Gothi wrote in the dirt again.

Gobber read it aloud, "Gothi says to get rid of everything. immediately. Otherwise it's just going to get worse. The dragons, and Hiccup, are going to become weaker and the illness will get more serious."

"... Guys..." Hiccup panted. She forced herself to sit up. "I'm fine. I'm sure it's just a cold." Hiccup stood up and stumbled out of the hut. "I just need to get some sleep." She spread her wings and glided down to the village.

"You should keep an eye on her." suggested Gobber, "I think Hiccup will need you, with the way she's treating her condition."

As Astro had everyone throwing their new items into a hole to bury them, Hiccup was in her room. She was reading the Book of Dragons.

She was reading a chapter about dragon sicknesses, hoping to find anything that would help her get better. She found a certain disease that had similar symptoms to the ones Hiccup was experiencing. She managed to find something that could make her better. She packed some food and water. She packed a knapsack and a pillow in case she'd have to spend the night away. She packed the Book of Dragons in case she needed to remember anything she'd possibly forget along the way. After taking one last round of observation of her hut, she left. She jumped into a small boat and sailed away from the island.

Astro tried everything he could to make things better for Stormfly. "I'm sorry you can't get comfortable, girl. Maybe if I-" The Deadly Nadder accidentally launched some spines from her tail.

"Don't worry, Storm." assured Astro, "I'm a soldier. I've been shot at before."

The next moment, Toothless came stumbling into Stormfly's stable.

Astro gasped, "Toothless! What are you doing out of your hut?... Where's Hiccup?"

Toothless nudge Astro forward. Astro ran to the Haddock's hut and opened the door. He did a thorough search on the hut, but Hiccup wasn't anywhere.


	4. Searching for Hope

Hiccup observed her map. She was so close to reaching her destination. She looked at the water that surrounded her boat. It sea was glass flat.

Hiccup sat down on her blanket and began reading the Book of Dragons.

She read the chapter about the Scauldron. She had a hope that the dragon could help her. She could hardly believe that she was allowing herself to do this, but she had to. It was the only way to save her and the dragons.

Hiccup suddenly felt incredibly sick. She quickly stood up and staggered to the side of the boat. She threw up into the water.

Hiccup sat down near the bow of the boat. Her body was so hot that she was damp with sweat. But all Hiccup could feel was the lack of heat. She felt cold. She was shivering. She was wearing some gloves because they kept her from burning things down.

Whenever she heard the waves, her mind heard voices, taunting her. Waiting for her to give up. Waiting for the right moment to kill her.

Hiccup closed her eyes, "H-h... help... anybody... p-please... help."

The girl pulled herself to her feet and looked around. She could smell Scauldrons.

She reached into the sack and pulled out a handful of the blue flowers that she saw earlier. One by one, she began dropping them in the water, waiting for the Scauldron to appear.


	5. Looks can be Deceiving and Deadly

"We've thrown everything into the pit!" exclaimed Fishlegs, "But our dragons are just getting worse."

Snotlout walked forward, "maybe there's someone who bought something from Johann but hasn't put it in the pit yet. Maybe Hiccup?"

"You're blaming her? Don't you remember? Toothless broke it by accident. She doesn't have it."

"She's not even here!" exclaimed Astro. Everyone turned to face him as he explained, "She must have left last night."

"She's running away?" asked Snotlout.

Astro, "She might be looking for something to help them."

"Hiccup?" called a voice, "Put this in the Book of Dragons!"

Everyone turned to face Stoick as he dismounted from Thornado's back as he returned from his journey.

Stoick continued in a humoured manner, "Never fly with a stomach full of under-cooked mutton. The Shivering Shores will never be the same."

Stoick looked around and realised the the dragons were lying on the ground and Hiccup wasn't anywhere in sight, not even when she was usually next to Toothless. "What's going on here? And where is Hiccup?"

"We don't know the answer to any of those, Stoick." replied Astro. "The dragons have been sick for some reason and Hiccup's left to go find it."

"That can't be bad. She's going to find a cure."

"Stoick. This may be hard to hear, but when I say, 'the dragons' I meant all the dragons. Even Hiccup."

Stoick froze, "You mean..."

"Unfortunately, yes. Hiccup is Thor knows where, who knows how far away from..."

"Then we have no time to waste." Stoick did his best not to look worried, "We should retrace our steps."

"Look for anything unusual."

Fishlegs pointed to the twins who were butting heads like goats, "Does that count?"

Astro shook his head, "Nothing unusual here."

"I've got something." said Snotlout, picking a blue flower from bush, "I don't think these flowers have been here before."

"It looks a lot like the Blue Oleander." explained Fishlegs, "I recognise it from the botany book."

"Is there anything else you can recall from it?" questioned Stoick.

"They're very beautiful and very soft... but also... poisonous to reptiles."

"Which means poisonous to dragons." added Snotlout.

"And poisonous to dragons means poisonous to Hiccup." finished Astro.

Fishlegs dropped the flowers in disgust, as if he had just realised what he was holding.

"Is there anything else?" asked Stoick.

"I don't know." said Fishlegs, "I didn't get to finish the chapter before I threw it away."

"Then go get it!" exclaimed Stoick, "My daughter's life depends on that book!"

Fishlegs sprinted away.

"Where did these flowers even come from?" asked Snotlout.

"Mildew." answered Ruffnut, "I saw him plant them the night he bought them."

Stoick looked in the direction of Mildew's hut. "Let's go pay the old man a visit."


	6. Which is Scarier? Poison or Venom?

Stoick practically slammed his fists against the door to Mildew's house. Once Mildew opened it, Stoick grabbed the man by his shirt and held him of the ground, "You son of a bitch! What were you thinking? Planting those Blue Oleander flowers? You were planning on killing my daughter were you?"

"Stoick!" yelled Astro, "We're here to ask him questions, not to accuse him. And, as ticked off at the moron as I am, I mean all of us."

Stoick dropped Mildew.

"So what if I planted a few flowers?" questioned Mildew, "The village has never looked better. I was merely trying to spread some beauty and happiness."

"Since when do you care about beauty and happiness?" questioned Astro.

Fishlegs walked up, "And it can't just be a coincidence that those flowers are the exact same ones that are poisonous to dragons."

"You did this." said Snotlout.

"What me?" Mildew laughed, "Stoick, I had no idea that these flowers have special properties. To be honest, I may have been a little unfriendly toward dragons. But all my life I've not harmed them."

Stoick sighed. "Let's go."

After they left, Mildew looked to Fungus, his sheep, "Oh the poor, poor dragons. Although I was nearly discovered, I'm so happy that the demon in human flesh will soon no longer be with us."

Back in the village square, Fishlegs ran toward the others, all out of breath. "I couldn't find anything about what gets rid of the flowers. But I remember in the Book of Dragons. A dragon can eat the Blue Oleander. That dragon is the Scauldron. They say that if the Scauldron eats the flowers, its venom can be used as an antidote like with snakes and spiders. But the Scauldron has no venom."

"That book is wrong!" yelled a nearby, rough, male voice. It was Gobber, "I've dealt with a Scauldron before. They're sixty feet long with razor sharp teeth. And they'll shoot boiling water that melts the flesh from your bones. The Scauldron has no fear, no conscience. But what the Scauldron does have is venom and lots of it."

"I'm out." said Tuffnut.

Ruffnut followed, "I'm with him."

Everyone was shocked. This was the first time the twins had refused danger.

Astro raised his hand, "I'm going."

"Why are you coming with us?" asked Stoick.

Astro pointed to the sea, "Hiccup is somewhere out there looking for a Scauldron. After what Gobber said, I don't think the Scauldron's gonna pity her. Not even when he sees that she's part dragon."


	7. I Don't Wanna Die

Hiccup tried to drop the flowers as sparingly as possible without endangering her life even more than she should.

She was down to the last five flowers.

Hiccup was coughing violently now. She was coughing so much that she almost couldn't breathe. Now, she couldn't even tell whether she was hot or cold.

Hiccup couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed on the deck of the boat. She couldn't pull herself back up. She was tired. She was cold. She found herself forgetting where she even was.

Her eyes began closing. Hiccup wanted to stay awake, but she didn't have the strength. The last thing she saw was a large, somewhat pelican-looking head emerging from behind the side of the boat.

Hiccup's vision focused in and out. When she was awake enough, she sat up slowly, struggling to keep her balance. She looked at the sack of flowers. The flowers were gone.

Hiccup suddenly became fully aware, "No!" She scrambled to the sack, looking into it, hoping to find anything left. "No! No! They're gone! No!"

Hiccup didn't want to believe it, but she knew she had to. The Blue Oleander flowers were gone. The Scauldron must have eaten them while she was unconscious. She couldn't remember which way home was. No one knew where she was. The dragons back home were going to die. She was going to die.

"Help me..." she pleaded, "Somebody... help me... help..."

She leaned against the side of the boat and sobbed, "I... don't... wanna... die."


	8. Think Twice Next Time

Astro gave a piece of chicken to Stormfly, "It's gonna be okay girl. Don't worry."

Stoick brought a pillow to Thornado and rested his head on it. "I've spent my whole life trying to kill you guys... Now look at me."

"Stoick."

Stoick looked to Astro as he told him, "It's time. The ship's ready."

Stoick and Astro boarded the ship, surprisingly greeted by Mildew. Gobber had pulled the man onto the boat and told him that he got the dragons into this mess, so he was going to help them out.

Once they were about nine miles from Berk, Mildew became anxious, "This is an outrage! I dug up all the flowers! I gave did my part! Why am I out here?"

"We're here because of you, Mildew!" said Stoick, "If we have to put our lives at risk, so do you!"

"You can't blame me, Stoick! You have no proof! You can't blame me every time something goes wrong with your precious dragons."

"Alright, Stoick," said Gobber, "What's the plan?"

Stoick picked up a bucket and turned to Astro, "Astro, when Gobber and I secure the dragon's head, Sven will wedge it's mouth open. We'll need you to... Astro?"

Stoick noticed that Astro was staring at something in the distance. He looked at the object. It was a boat. It looked as if something was on it. Stoick didn't have time to see the figure clearly before Astro screamed, "Hiccup!"

Astro grabbed an anchor and threw it at the boat, hooking the anchor on the small figurehead. He pulled the boat close enough and jumped to it.

Astro looked at the body. The girl was so pale that she didn't even look human. Her body was damp with sweat. The body was shivering. Astro could hear faint coughing.

Astro hugged Hiccup, "What were you thinking?"

Hiccup coughed more. She didn't seem to notice that she was no longer alone. She just kept repeating, "I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die."

Astro wrapped Hiccup in the blanket and carried her back to the ship.

Stoick ran over as soon as he saw the girl.

Astro placed the limp body next to the bow of the ship. Hiccup finally opened her eyes and looked at the boy. "... As-tro?"

"Oh thank gods! Hiccup!" Astro hugged the girl tight.

"Wha...? Where?... How-"

"There's no time to explain. You just need to calm down and try to sleep."

Astro held up a rag, "And hold this over your mouth. You need to make sure you're not inhaling the fragrance of the Blue Oleander."

Astro grabbed the basket of Blue Oleander and began to drop them into the water.

Mildew leaned closer to Hiccup, "I'm almost happy you were found just in time."

"Or course... you're not happy..." Hiccup panted, "You... hate... me."

"It's too bad though. I was hoping we'd be too late."

"What... do... you mean..."

"Why else would I have planted those flowers?"

The moment Hiccup heard the question, she wanted to give that man a scar. But she was too weak to sit up.

Mildew leaned in closer, "Maybe next time you'll think twice before you threaten a man like me."

Hiccup remembered that she had to hold the cloth against her mouth and nose. She tried to press it against her face, but Mildew took the cloth and secretly dropped it over the edge of the ship. "Oops."

As Mildew walked away, Hiccup began to pass out. The last thing she remembered was watching the others lean over one side of the ship. She saw Astro throwing the Blue Oleander all over the deck, careful not to get any near her. Then, everything went black.


	9. The Scauldron's Attack

As Astro threw the Blue Oleander all over the deck, he explained, "The deck is where this dragons needs to be."

"Sure!" exclaimed Mildew, "Bring him on the deck where he can have at us all!"

"Gobber!" yelled Stoick, "Secure its neck with this rope! I'll lasso his horn!"

Both Gobber and Stoick ran to the stern of the ship.

Nothing happened.

...

Gobber looked around, "Where did it go?"

...

...

Suddenly, the entire ship was thrown out of the water. If flew a few feet before it landed back into the water, causing all the Vikings to fall down. Hiccup rolled out of her bed.

Hiccup looked up and saw the Scauldron looking at Mildew.

The Scauldron climbed onto the stern of the ship, sending everyone sliding toward him.

Everyone grabbed hold of the mast or landed on it. But Hiccup slid past them. Stoick saw his daughter scrambling to hold herself up by jamming her claws into the wood, failing horribly. He reached down and caught the girl by her arm.

The basket of the flowers came rolling down next. One of the flowers fell past Hiccup. Immediately, the girl lost all control of her powers. Her hand caused a flame that burned the hand of her father. Stoick's instinct caused him to let go, and Hiccup slid down to the Scauldron, "Hiccup!"

The Scauldron didn't seem to notice Hiccup landing near him. Be was too busy eating the flowers as they fell down.

Stoick held up his rope, "Gobber! Now's our chance!"

Both Gobber and Stoick ran down the deck. Stoick threw the lasso and caught the dragon's horn. At once the dragon began to fight back. Gobber caught the dragon's neck with his rope. Both pulled the Scauldron's head down and held it on the deck.

"Sven!" yelled Stoick, "Grab the barrel now!"

Astro prepared to do his job, "I got the bucket!"

"Whatever you do, don't get that venom inside you!"

The Scauldron raised its tail and swung at anyone who was holding it down. It barely missed Sven. Stoick saw the the tail was aiming for Astro next. He pushed Astro out of the way, and got hit himself. He grabbed the dragon's tail and held on. The Scauldron tried to knock the Viking off its tail by hitting against the mast, but Stoick grabbed the mast and held both tight.

Astro grabbed Stoick's rope and began to pull. Gobber and Astro pulled the dragon's head against the mast, wedging its mouth open. Mildew was hiding behind the mast.

"Mildew!" Stoick called, "Grab the bucket and-"

"Hold on!" screamed Mildew, "It's one thing that I-"

"Grab the bucket or I'll throw you overboard myself!"

Mildew slowly grabbed the bucket and looked into the dragon's throat. The dragon was about to spray the water. He ran for cover. Astro and Gobber held up their shields. The Scauldron released the water and broke the mast.

the Scauldron raised its head, " **You humans are going to die for this!** "

Hiccup regained consciousness. She looked up and saw the Scauldron, it was about to leave.

Without thinking, Hiccup crawled over to the Scauldron's body and scratched it with her claws. The Scauldron turned to the source of the sudden pain.

Hiccup frantically crawled for cover, but the dragon bit her arm, and lifted her off the ground as she screamed in pain.

Everyone turned and looked at the girl as she was dropped onto the deck, and the Scauldron disappeared under the water.

Astro peered over the edge, "He's gone."

"And you can bet," said Gobber, "the last place he's coming back to is this ship."

Stoick shook his head, "We didn't get the venom."

There was a groan that sounded agonised.

Everyone turned to Hiccup. She was lying on the ground, holding her arm.

"Yes. We did." corrected Astro. "We have to get it out of her as soon as possible."

Everyong began rowing back to the village as Astro held Hiccup. Astro began to worry as Hiccup quickly fell asleep.


	10. They're Alive

The moment they arrived at Berk, Stoick carried Hiccup as he ran to his hut. Gothi was checking Toothless when she saw Stoick carrying the girl. After Stoick briefly explained what happened, Gothi extracted the venom from Hiccup's arm, and quickly made the medicine and healed Hiccup and the dragons.

An hour later, all the ill dragons were given the treatment. All the full dragons had healed quickly. But Hiccup didn't wake up yet.

Stoick was sitting next to the girl's bed.

Astro walked in, "Don't worry Stoick. I'm sure she'll get better. She's a Viking, and a dragon. I can't imagine a combination like that being easily defeated."

"I hope you're right, Lad." nodded Stoick.

"Maybe you should head downstairs. You haven't eaten since you came home."

Stoick sighed, then he walked out of Hiccup's room.

Astro sat down in the chair next to Hiccup's bed. He looked at the girl as she slept peacefully. "Your dragon's better. All of them are. I guess, that's why you made that dragon bite..." Astro held Hiccup's hand, "Hiccup. Please come back... I don't want you to leave. Not now. If not for me... come back for Toothless..."

Nothing happened.

Astro sighed.

Just then, he felt the girl's hand gently getting tighter. He looked up and looked at Hiccup. Her eyes were open.

Hiccup looked around, "What happened? Where's the Scauldron? Did we get the venom?"

Astro hugged Hiccup so tightly that Hiccup was surprised she could still breathe.

Astro laughed, even though tears were falling, "You're alive!"

Astro suddenly stopped hugging Hiccup and punched her arm.

"Ow!" Hiccup screamed, "What was that for?"

Astro tried his best to look angry, but failing to stop himself from smiling, "You scared me half to death! Don't ever pull anything like that ever again!"

Astro was cut off by Stoick, who had run up the stairs when he heard Hiccup scream, "What's going on?"

Stoick saw Hiccup, and ran over to her. He hugged Hiccup.

Hiccup asked again, "What happened?"

Stoick stopped hugging Hiccup and explained, "The Scauldron bit you before he swam away. We extracted the venom from your arm when we got home."

"Well, apart from Astro punching my arm, that would explain why it was sore when I woke up."

Toothless ran up and pounced on Hiccup, knocking her off the bed, " **Hiccup! You're alive!** "

Toothless licked Hiccup's face.

" **Yes! Toothless! I'm alive! We're all alive! That's why I left! I wanted to get the venom.** "

Stoick helped Hiccup to her feet, "What were you thinking? You could've died out there."

Hiccup repeated herself, "I left because I had to get the venom. That's also why I let the dragon bite me."

Hiccup walked outside. She was greeted by the dragons. All the dragons had heard of her leaving to get the venom, and they'd all come to thank her. After a small reunion with the dragons and Vikings, Gothi came to check on Hiccup.

Hiccup was fine, but she still had some healing to do, that meant she had to stay in bed. She didn't really mind though. After an adventure like that, she was exhausted. She did nothing but sleep for the next two days.


	11. An Unexpected Threat

Hiccup walked through the forest on her way to the cove. She had healed completely and was walking to the cove to get some water. Her wings were still weak from the illness, but at least she wasn't dead.

She was nearly at the entrance to the cove when she heard something in the bushes. She looked to the source of the noise. Nothing.

"Hello?"

"Is anyone there?"

"Hell-"

Suddenly something jumped on her from behind and slammed her body against the ground. Hiccup felt a small but incredibly strong hand grab hold of her hair and wrap some around a knife. The hand pulled so hard that Hiccup feared that her hair would be pulled out of her scalp. Hiccup screamed at the pain.

Hiccup felt her hair being cut. The hand let go. Hiccup rolled over and looked up a Mildew. He had the knife in one hand and some of Hiccup's hair in the other.

"Mildew? What the hell was that for?"

Mildew pounced onto her again. He held his knife to Hiccup's throat as he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "If you even give so much as a hint of what I did, I will use this hair to make you kill those dragons. Starting with your precious Night Fury." Mildew sat up and smiled, "I'm sure you've heard of witchcraft Hiccup. You'd know what possibilities can come with it.

Hiccup froze. She wanted to kill him, but she knew it was wrong. As wrong as his actions were, killing him would make her no better.

Mildew stood up and left. "Remember this moment Hiccup. The lives of your friends could depend on it."

Hiccup panted with relief as she stood up and ran home.

She walked up to the door, and was greeted by Astro.

Astro noticed the shock in Hiccup's eyes, "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?"

Hiccup shook her head, "Nothing. Everything's fine. I just... I'm still kind of shaken from that Scauldron experience."

"I don't blame you. After getting bitten by one of those things, even I'd be scared myself... Are you sure you're okay?"

"Honestly, I'm fine."

"What happened to your hair?"

"Huh?"

"Some of your hair seems shorter."

"Uh... I don't..."

"Don't know how that happened?"

"Mm-mm."

Astro didn't buy it. But he respected her privacy.

As he walked back to his hut, he turned back, "Just don't go pulling stunts like that again."

Hiccup chuckled, "Astro. You know me. I'm always pulling stunts like that. We're Vikings."

Hiccup walked into her hut and closed the door. No one else was home. She was by herself.

She walked up her room and collapsed on her bed. She thought about what Mildew had said. She doubted his claim of having the skill of witchcraft, but she couldn't ignore his warning. It was too risky.

Mildew was terrifying. Now he was worse. He had become a living nightmare. From now on, Hiccup would have to live in fear of this man. If his claim was true, that would have meant that he had control over her life, her health, and worst of all, her mind.

Hiccup was scared. She was so scared that she cried herself to sleep that night.


End file.
